Congress, BJP two faces of same coin: HDK

PTI, Jun 28, 2023, 4:32 PM IST

JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday alleged the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka was trying to create an ”illusion of clean administration” by transferring officers but would, in reality, not conduct inquiries into the charges of irregularities against the previous BJP regime.

Pointing at the repeated statements made by ministers and the chief minister that an inquiry would be held to look into the alleged irregularities of the previous BJP regime, he said new statements are being issued every day to cover up their failures.

”Have you ever seen a chief minister’s office issuing five orders for one post? After issuing a transfer order, the chief minister’s office would have records with orders numbered. Who has created an atmosphere where orders are being issued for appointing five people to one post is clear… Transfer business is going on in a big way,” Kumaraswamy said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said that on the one side open statements are being made from the stage during events and in front of the media, stating that they will not take bribes, but the business of transfers is rampant.

Also, the government is treating officials in a ”bad way” in every department, compared to the previous BJP government, he said, adding that, ”On getting power, one should not lose control over his mind and should learn to work with respect. It is better if those in power learn how to behave in public.”

Responding to a question, the former CM claimed, ”There should be no doubts about commission business continuing in this government too, and to fix the rate, all works have been stopped.” ”It is laughable that a minister says that inquiry will be conducted on developmental works taken up during the last four years. How and from where will they do it,” he asked.

Noting that every day in newspapers one can find that all ministers, including the chief minister, are issuing statements regarding conducting inquiry into alleged irregularities of the previous regime, Kumaraswamy said, ”It looks like this government, along with five ‘guarantees’, has also decided to give another scheme called ‘Thanika Jyothi’ (Inquiry Jyothi) on previous government.”

”Inquiry into any of the irregularities or scams will not be taken to a logical end; nothing will come of it,” he said, adding that to cover up their failures, new statements are being made every day by the CM and the ministers.

”They are creating an illusion of providing a clean administration by doing all this.” Alleging that the Congress and BJP are two faces of the same coin, Kumaraswamy said both the national parties were akin to being a ”British East India Company in a free India and in a democracy”, as they too are ”looting the country’s resources, the way the company did in the past”.

Hitting out at the Siddaramaiah government for pointing fingers at the Centre for everything, including on the rising vegetable prices, he said in response to a question, ”Then why are they (Congress in government) here? During the election they gave full page publicity in newspapers with Siddaramaiah on one side and D K Shivakumar (state Congress chief and Deputy CM) on other side, promising to bring down prices.”

Demanding to know what the state government was doing to bring down the prices of vegetables like tomatoes, he pointed out that the Centre has already said it will bring down the prices of pulses by letting imported lots into the market.